Coin operated dispensing means



April 3, 1962 s. EPPY 3,028,049

com OPERATED DISPENSING MEANS Filed Oct. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

INVENTOR SlDNEY EPPY ATTORNEY.

April 3, 1962 s. EPPY 3,028,049

COIN OPERATED DISPENSING MEANS Filed Oct. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 5.

INVENTOR SIDNEY EPPY ATTORNEY.

ilnited States Patent 3,628,04h Patented Apr. 3, 1962 3,028,049 COIN OPERATED DISPENSING MEANS Sidney Eppy, Forest Hills, N.Y., assignor to Samuel Eppy & Company, Inc., Jamaica, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Oct. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 845,828 1 Claim. (Cl. 221-154) This invention relates to coin operated dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus of the type for dispensing gum balls, small candies, charms, and other objects and commodities.

One of the objections to prior machines has been that the gum balls, which are unwrapped, are in direct contact with the screw holding on the cover. When the machine is filled, this screw is handled by the operator and may be temporarily rested on an unsanitary place. In the present invention this rod or screw is completely covered by a hollow tube which is permanently mounted inside the machine.

With the present arrangement of the hollow tube, the food contents can be arranged for display and then the cover and attaching holding rod inserted through the tube without disturbing the arrangement of the articles.

Another difiiculty with the prior machines is that they require a separate lock for the article container which is generally located on the top cover and thereby exposed to rain which may seep through the opening into the articles and damage them.

Another difiiculty with the prior machines is that the coin operated latch is generally inaccessible and diflicult to repair if it becomes jammed. In the present invention the coin operated latch is located on a removable hinged or flanged front panel which can be removed and replaced completely so that the mechanism may be taken to a shop for repairs, or for changing locks.

Another difiiculty with prior machines is that the coin slot is generally narrow and so constructed that a coin can not be removed from the slot if it is of the wrong size or if the machine is not operative. This is very aggrevating to customers and frequently results in damage to the apparatus and also incurs bad will. In the present machine the coin slot is of a large size so that if the mechanism is jammed, the coin may be easily removed.

Another difficulty with prior machines has been that the gum balls and charms tend to become jammed or stuck together in the jar container. In the present invention a coiled wire is rotatably mounted Which has a screw type action which agitates the articles to prevent jamming.

The present invention also has spring loaded means for knocking the articles down the exit chute to eliminate possible jamming.

Accordingly, a principal object of the invention is to provide new and improved coin operated dispensing means.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved coin operated dispensing means having only one look for both the articles and the coil box.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved coin latch means for a dispensing machine which are easily removable and replaceable.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved coin slot means which permits extraction of the coin if the apparatus is inoperative.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved means in a dispensing machine to agitate the contents to prevent sticking together and possible jamm1ng..

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved dispensing means having a removable cover which is adapted to be attached through a tube so that attaching the cover will not disturb or contaminate the contents.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings, of which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view reduced in size of an embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view taken along thecline 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a detail view of the gear actuating means.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a detail view showing the rear of the coin latch, and

FIGURE 6 is an exploded view of the coin actuating mechanism.

Referring to the figures, the invention generally comprises a hollow base member 1 having a removable front panel 2 which is adapted to be locked to the base memher by the lock 3. Articles are stored in the transparent jar type container 4 which may be of plastic and which is mounted onto the top "1' of the base member 1. A cover 5 is removably mounted on top of the container 4. The cover is attached by means of a threaded rod 6 fixedly attached to the center of the cover and which is adapted to extend through the hollow tube 7 which is permanently mounted in the machine.

The apparatus is adapted to be operated by inserting a coin in a slot 8 and turning the triangular knob 9 clockwise whereupon an article will be delivered via the chute 10' and may be obtained by lifting the cover 11. The triangular shape of the knob permits easy turning. The cover is heavy enough to retain the articles.

More specifically referring to FIGURE 2, the hollow base member 1 is adapted to be mounted on a horizontal surface by means of suction cups 12 and 13 or it may be bolted down by bolts through the mounting holes 14 and 15. The base 1 acts as the coin box and has a raised ramp 1a to permit easy removal of coins.

The removable front panel 2 has a pair of extending side flanges 16 and 1-7 which fit behind the edge of the panel mounting aperture in the base 1. Another locating flange 18 fits against the opposite side of the aperture and the panel is fastened to the base member by means of the lock 3 mounted in the aperture 3a of the front panel. The lock is of the type having an extending member 3' which rotates behind the edge of the panel aperture in the base member, FIGURE 5. A chute 10 is mounted on the front panel by nut 10 and is removable with the front panel. The knob 9 is fixedly connected to the shaft 10 which is rotatably mounted on the front panel 2. The knob is mounted close to the panel to prevent the insertion of tools behind it for the purpose of breaking the coin box. A gear 20 is mounted on the other end of the shaft 10 with a cotter pin. The gear 20 engages the gear toothed lower circumference 21 of a cup member 22 which is the only mechanical connection between the removable coin latch on panel 2 and the actual dispensing apparatus.

The article dispensing apparatus is as follows: It consists generally of the unitary rotatable cup 22 which has several article holding recesses 23, 24 and so forth, FIGURE 4, which are adapted to receive the articles through the opening 25 in the rear of the floor 26 of the article container and deliver them to the exit chute 10.

More specifically, the rotating cup and associated mechanism is mounted on the top cover 1' of the hollow base. The article container 4 is also fixedly mounted on the base cover 1 by means of clamping member 29 bolted to cover 1 through gasket 39. The container 4 has .a sloping floor 26 bolted to the member 29 by bolt 26 and comprises a sloping circular portion 27 around the outer edge and an aperture 25 which is a sector about half the size of the floor 26.

An interior cover 28 is also mounted to the top 1' of the hollow base member 1 and is generally cup-shaped to substantially cover the underside of the rotatable cup 22 except for an aperture above the chute 10. The rotatable cup 22 is preferably a casting having gear teeth 21 around its lower periphery. The cup is easily replaceable with one having a diflerent number and size. of recesses. It is set in the holding cover 28 and is adapted to be rotated by means of the gear 24 engaging theteeth 21 along the lower perimeter of the cup 22. A series of springs 39 are fixedly mounted at their upper end to the floor 26 of the article container. The purpose of the springs is to brush away excess articles from the recesses 23, 24, and so forth in the cup 22. The purpose of this is to prevent more than one article (or any predetermined number of articles) from lodging in one of the article carrying recesses. The gear ratio between gear 20 and teeth 21 is chosen so that one rotation of knob 9 will pass, one or more of the article delivering recesses, 23, 24 over the delivery chute 10.

The long hollow tube 7 has a flange 7 at its lower end which sets in a corresponding recess in the cup member 22. The rod 7 extends through a loose fitting center aperture in the cup 22 upwardly to a point at the top of the container 4. The cover 5 of the container has a long rod 6 fixedly connected to the center of the cover and has a threaded end 6. The threaded rod 6 is inserted through the tube 7 and is locked to base member 1/; by means of the thumb nut 30. Therefore, the rod 6 does not come in contact with the food articles when the cover is attached and therefore can notcontaminate them. This is an important feature as this rod 6 is handled and possibly placed on an unsanitary surface during the time that the machine is being filled. With this arrangement it is also possible to arrange the articles in the container 4 for the best display appearance and then insert the rod and attach the cover without distur ing the articles. This is not possible with the prior machines of this type.

A wire coil 31 is loosely wound around the hollow tube 7 and is connectedin a hole in the cup 22 at its lower end so that as the cup 22 rotates, the wire 31 will also rotate and t'endto agitate the articles with a screw type motion. This will prevent jamming o1- sticking together of the articles.

The diameter of the container 4 increases from the bottom to the top so that it tapers toward the bottom. This greatly minimizes the chances of dust and dirt collecting on the sides of the container 4. The container 4 also has interior substantially vertical ridges 32, 33 and so forth which also assist the rotating coil 31 in breaking up any jamming of the articles. The cover 5 has evenly spaced grooves 34, 35 which fit onto corresponding ridges in the top circumference of the container 4 to prevent rotational movement of the cover with respect to the container 4. Therefore, the cover can not be unscrewed from the container 4 externally.

FIGURES 5 and 6 show the coin operated latch mechanism. FIGURE 5 is an interior view showing the back of the removable mounting panel 2. The mounting panel has a pair of extending flanges 16 and 17 which fit behind the corresponding aperture in the base 1. There is also a locating flange 18 on the other side of the panel 2 at right angles thereto which is adapted to contact the other edge of the aperture in the base 1 to properly locate the removable panel. The panel is locked by means of the rotatable flange 3' on the lock 3. The aperture 36 is for delivering the articles. The chute it has a curved lower lip so that the articles will not roll out when the cover 11 is lifted.

FIGURE 6 shows an exploded view of the coin operated latch. The latch is operated by the triangular knob 9 mounted on the squared shaft 49 upon which is mounted the coin carrying wheel 41, the detent cam 42, and the actuating gear 20 with cotter pin 20a. The coin carrying wheel 41 fits inside the cutout plate 43 which is clamped to the panel 2 by means of the. back plate 44 which is bolted onto the studs 45, 46, and 47 on the panel 2 by means of the nuts 45', 46, and 47'. A pawl 50 is rotatably mounted on and extends through the backup plate 44 and is adapted to slide over a coin 51 in the coin carrying slot 52 of the wheel 41. Pawl 60, similarly mounted on plate 44, rides over the notches 61, 62 in coin carrier 41 to prevent reverse movement of carrier 41 and commit the coin before delivery of any articles.

The pawl 53 is pivotally mounted by means of the post 53 thereon which is inserted in the hole 53a of the backup plate 44. The pawl 53 is spring loaded by the spring 54 and its curved surface 53b rides on the outer perimeter of the coin carrier 41. If there is no coin inserted or if the coin is not large enough to hold out the pawl 53, its freeedge will fall into the coin slot and hit the trailing edge of the coin slot 52 and stop the coin carrier. For instance, it will prevent a penny from operating a nickel, machine.

The coin slot 2a is oversized and curved to permit easy extraction of the coin, for instance, if a wrong size coin is inserted which will not operate the machine.

The detent cam 42, mounted on. the shaft 40, cooperates with the crank arm 55 to index the coin carrier 41 to receive a coin which is pivotally mounted by means of the screw 55' onto the backup plate 44 and is spring loaded thereto by means of the spring 56. The spring loaded crank arm has a curved surface which mates with the curved surface of the detentcam 42 to properly locate the coin slot 52 for the reception of a coin.

A knockout spring 62 is mounted on clamping member 29 and has a cup-like end poised over the delivery chute 10 to knock the articles down the chute 10 in positive manner. The recesses in cup 22 have sloping sides with raised portions in between to increase the snapping action of the knockout spring 62.

Many modifications will occur to those desiring to practice the invention without departing from the scope thereof which is set forth in the following claim.

"I claim:

A coin operated dispensing means having a hollow base member having a top panel, a removable front panel adapted to be locked onto said base member, a dispensing chute attached to said front panel, knob operated coin latch means mounted on the inside of said front panel, a gear mounted on the shaft of said knob, a dispensing cup rotatably mounted in the upper part of said hollow base member and geared to said gear, the improvement consisting of a hollow tube mounted in the center of said cup and extending upwardly, a transparent container mounted on the top panel of said base member, said container being open at the bottom and adapted to feed articles into Said cup, said cup having a plurality of recesses, each adapted to receive at least one of said articles, a Wire coil rotatably mounted on 5 said tube and connected to said rotatable cup at its lower end whereby as said cup rotates, said coiled wire will agitate articles in said container, an imperforate cover for said container, a rod member fixedly connected to the inside center of said cover, said rod mem- 5 her having a threaded end and being adapted to extend through said tube down into said hollow base member whereby said cover may be secured on said container by means of a thumb nut screwed onto said threaded rod, whereby only one lock is required for said container 1 and said hollow base member.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Millard Jan. 2, 1912 IohnStone Feb. 16, 1915 Millard Nov. 11, 1919 Baird July 26, 1921 Du Grenier Apr. 15, 1.924 Morin Sept. 11, 1928 Obodzinski Oct. 21, 1952 Probasco Apr. 7, 1959 

